Thomas J. Van Alstyne

Thomas Jefferson Van Alstyne (July 25, 1827 – October 26, 1903) was a U.S. Representative from New York.[1]

Thomas J. Van Alstyne
Mayor of Albany, New York
In office
1898 – 1899
Preceded byJohn Boyd Thacher
Succeeded byJames Henry Blessing
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 16th district
In office
March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885
Preceded byMichael N. Nolan
Succeeded byJohn H. Ketcham
Personal details
Born
Thomas Jefferson Van Alstyne

(1827-07-25)July 25, 1827
Richmondville, New York
DiedOctober 26, 1903(1903-10-26) (aged 76)
Albany, New York
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Sarah Clapp
​
​
(m. 1851; died 1859)​

Louise Peck
​
​
(m. 1876; died 1884)​

Laura Louisa Wurdemann
​
​
(m. 1886; his death 1903)​
Alma materHamilton College
OccupationLawyer, judge
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceArmy
RankMajor
Battles/warsCivil War

Early life

Thomas Jefferson Van Alstyne was born on July 25, 1827 in Richmondville, New York.[2] He was the son of Dr. Thomas B. Van Alstyne and Eliza Gile.[3]

Van Alstyne attended the common schools, Moravia (New York) Academy, and Hartwick (New York) Seminary. In 1848 he graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. In 1851, he received his master of arts degree from Hamilton.[4]

Career

He studied law in Albany, New York, was admitted to the bar in 1849 and practiced in Albany. In 1848, he entered the law office of Harris and Van Vorst. In 1853, he was invited to and formed a partnership with Matthew McMahon.[4]

He served as a Union Army judge advocate with the rank of major during the Civil War. He served as judge of Albany County from 1871 to 1882.[5]

Van Alstyne was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth Congress and served one term, March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1885.[6] In Congress, he was a member of the Committee on Claims and the Committee on Expenditures of the Department of Justice.[4] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1884 to the Forty-ninth Congress and returned to the practice of law.[1]

He served as mayor of Albany from 1898 to 1900.[1] He won the Democratic primary for reelection but lost the election to James H. Blessing.[7]

Personal life

Val Alstyne was married three times.[2] He married his first wife, Sarah Clapp (1832–1859), on September 3, 1851.[2] Before her death, they had together:[4]

  • Thomas Butler Van Alstyne (1851–1927),[8] who married Anna Richards.[2]
  • Charles Edwin Van Alstyne (1855–1858), who died young.[2]

On October 25, 1876, he married his second wife, Louise Peck (1842–1884), daughter of Samuel S. Peck of Albany.[4][2][9] After her death in 1884, he married his third wife, Laura Louisa Wurdemann (1849–1939), a daughter of William Wurdemann and Lydia Vanderbilt and a granddaughter of William Vanderbilt,[10] on February 17, 1886.[4] They were the parents of another son:[11]

  • William Thomas Van Alstyne (1887–1965).[2]

He died in Albany on October 26, 1903.[3] He was interred at Albany Rural Cemetery.[1]

References
  1. "VAN ALSTYNE, Thomas Jefferson - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  2. Van Alstyne, Lawrence (1897). Lambert Janse Van Alstyne and Some of His Descendants. Walsh & Griffen, printers. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  3. Times, Special To The New York (27 October 1903). "DEATH LIST OF A DAY.; Thomas Jefferson Van Alstyfte". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  4. Parker, Amasa J. (1897). "Thomas J. Van Alstyne". albany.nygenweb.net. Landmarks of Albany County, New York. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  5. "POLITICAL TALK IN ALBANY". The New York Times. 24 November 1883. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  6. "NEW-YORK IN CONGRESS; MEN NAMED FOR NOMINATION IN EACH PARTY. LOOKING OVER THE FIELD IN THE EIGHTEEN REPUBLICAN AND SIXTEEN DEMOCRATIC DISTRICTS OF THE STATE". The New York Times. 25 May 1884. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  7. Robinson, Frank S. (1977). Machine Politics: A Study of Albany's O'Connells. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. p. 10. ISBN 9781412827751. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  8. "LEFT ORPHANAGE $35,000.; Thomas B. Van Alstyne Bequeathed Fund to the Albany Institution". The New York Times. 7 February 1928. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  9. In the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York; Third Department. 1910. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  10. Times, Special To The New York (14 July 1939). "MRS. THOMAS J. VAN ALSTYNE". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  11. Toll, C. H. (November 1, 1903). "Necrology: Class of 1848; Thomas Jefferson Van Alstyne". Hamilton Literary Magazine. Hamilton, NY: The Courier Press. 38 (3): 134.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Michael N. Nolan		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 16th congressional district
1883–1885		 Succeeded by
John H. Ketcham
Political offices
Preceded by
John Boyd Thacher		 Mayor of Albany, New York
1898–1899		 Succeeded by
James Henry Blessing

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

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